In Ghana, the road is still most reserved for drivers. But since 2013, Esenam Nyador, also known as Miss Taxi, has struggled to create a place for women in the transportation sector. Portrait.
Our correspondent in Accra,
At the wheel of her impressive black SUV, which she calls her “baby”, Esenam Nyador does not pass unnoticed on the streets of Accra. The 43-year-old driver has cropped blue hair and a loud laugh. She readily admits it: it takes a strong personality and stubbornness to find your place in this still very masculine universe.
“After graduating in 2012, I decided to become a truck driver,” she says. “I was looking for a city for an experienced driver who could take me as an apprentice. “Find something feminine to do.” So I decided to lower my ambitions and become a taxi driver. At least I did not need permission to do so. “
At that time, there were only four female taxis driving in the capital. Esenam Nyador then took the pseudonym for Miss Taxi and quickly established himself with an advanced clientele, despite the hostility of his colleagues. In 2018, she decided to develop Miss Taxi, which became a non-governmental organization.
“Miss Taxi’s mission is to help increase the proportion of women in the road transport industry. We take young women who have graduated from university, we train them as professional drivers, and then we put them in touch with progressive employers, so that their skills become a profession and give them an income. “
Hannah Nkum is one of Miss Taxi’s newest recruits. At 34, the young woman works as a cleaning lady for a rich family and takes driving lessons the morning before her work day, from 7 to 9. Thanks to her education at Miss Taxi, she hopes to be able to train again soon.
“I would like to be able to find a job as a driver, for a company or for a family, it does not matter. When I was little, when I saw a woman driving, I said to myself, “One day I will also know how to drive.” I would like all women to have this chance “, trust the young apprentice driver.
During three years of existence, Miss Taxi will have trained 130 women by the end of the year in the profession of professional driver, but also bus driver and even heavy trucks. A victory with a taste of revenge over those who said it was incapable.
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